The Alter
by Ochibi-san-sama-chan
Summary: Jean DeLance is a freelance scientist that succeeded in fusing Innocence particles into her two guns, Lucent and Nebulous, creating a new matter named "The Alter" during her time in the Black Order. She is then again contacted by the Order to help them in their search for more Innocence and to reveal her secret in the Innocence alteration. KandaxOC Kanda OC INDEFINITE HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Katsura Hoshino owns DGM, I only own my OC, Jean and the Alter.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Jean ran a hand through her sandy blonde hair. Her midnight blue eyes scanned the letter in her other hand for the seventh time.

She sighed.

Komui managed to reach her.

Jean was tempted to decline but Komui was willing to part with a lot of money to get her to come back.

It wasn't that she didn't want to help; she just didn't want to get too attached to the people there. She had to admit that they were very easy to get along with, and she learned from past experience how dangerous it was to become attached. But then again it was getting increasingly difficult to ignore the threat the Millennium Earl was posing. It didn't help that the akuma around her were able to sense her infused weapons, making staying hidden rather difficult.

Which explained her presence on a train bound for the European Branch. Her letter informed her that a member of Headquarters was going to be waiting for her at the designated stop.

She sighed once more, tucking the letter away in her pocket, and stared out the window.

* * *

Jean stretched her cramped muscles as she walked off the train. She then looked around and found her guide leaning beside the station building. She sighed once she realized who he was. The man was Kanda Yuu, one of the exorcists in the Order, and the one that was the most difficult to like. She walked toward him nonetheless; she had to be professional, she reminded herself.

Kanda pushed himself off from the wall as he noticed her approach.

"Hello, Kanda," Jean said, "It's been a while. Glad to see you're still alive."

She merely received a glare as he walked toward a carriage that was stationed close by.

"Charming," she muttered as she followed the long haired male.

Once they were seated inside, the carriage began to move at a steady pace.

The two bodies inside were seated opposite of each other, staring outside of their respective windows.

After a few minutes of silence Jean looked over at the Japanese man, "I'm surprised you were to be my guide, Kanda. I thought a finder was going to escort me to HQ."

Kanda glanced at her for a few seconds and then proceeded to glare at the view outside, "I just finished a mission when I was contacted by the chief. I was the only one near this location so he just decided to send me."

She nodded and turned back to the view.

* * *

"Jean!" Komui yelled, "It's so good to see you again~!"

The blonde woman resisted the urge to roll her eyes and instead opted to smile at the chief officer, "Likewise, Komui."

The man nodded several times and looked over at Reever. The Science Section Chief nodded his head toward the freelancer, "Nice to see you again, Jean."

She smiled and nodded at him in return.

"I hope Kanda didn't give you any trouble," Komui said, glancing at said exorcist who was standing by the door.

She shook her head, "No trouble at all."

"Well," said Reever, "Why don't you follow me, Jean, I'll show you to a room."

She picked up her suitcase and nodded a farewell to Komui and Kanda.

She walked next to Reever, who began making small talk with her.

"I'm pretty surprised you came back. I didn't think you would, considering your reputation. No offense."

She shook her head, "None taken. I didn't think I'd ever be coming back here either, to be honest. But it's getting harder to ignore the akuma."

Reever nodded gravely, "I heard you've had your share of run-in's with them."

"Yeah. About four days ago, I was attacked by five groups in the space of three hours."

Reever let out a low whistle, "That many?"

Jean nodded, "The next day I was attacked by a level two. That's the same day I got the letter from Komui. I thought about it for the rest of the day. And so, here I am."

Reever smiled, "Well, it's good to have you back. It'd be nice to have such a brilliant mind working with us again."

She smirked, "Flatterer."

He chuckled, "I try...I've been wondering..."

"Yes," she prompted.

"Will you be imparting your secret of the fusion?"

She nodded, "Sadly, I will. That's what Komui is paying me for, so I'll keep my end of the bargain. Though, honestly, I really don't want to."

Reever smirked, "I don't blame you. I probably wouldn't want to either."

They continued back and forth until Reever stopped in front of a door, "Here you are."

She looked at him in question, "Isn't this my old room?"

He nodded, "Though it's been remodeled and refurbished. As a welcome back gift from all of us in the science department."

Jean would never admit it, but she was touched by the gesture. It seemed that avoiding attachment would be increasingly difficult. She nodded her thanks to Reever and opened the door.

Reever stopped her before she was completely inside, "Once your done settling in Johnny wants you measured and fitted."

Jean smiled softly at the mention of Johnny. He was one person she would be glad to see again.

"Alright," she said, "I'll be down there once I finish unpacking."

* * *

Once she was finished unpacking, she quickly head toward the science department. There, she was warmly greeted by the science members. Johnny quickly got her measurements and set to work on her outfit.

Reever walked up to her, "If it's not to inconvenient, would you explain the fusion to everyone?"

"Might as well."

Reever quickly called the members towards them. They approached and formed a half circle around Jean.

She leaned back on the desk behind her and crossed her arms. "I'm sure you've all heard about my discovery from Komui by now so I won't bother explaining what it is I achieved. Komui has stated that this information is imperative for all of you to know, which is the main reason I'm here."

She quickly whispered something to Reever. He nodded and called two others to help him set up a white screen and a projector.

Jean quickly began to go through her findings, "During my previous stay here, I spent a lot of time studying the Innocence. My research showed me an interesting particle within the Innocence."

She looked at the faces with suppressed smugness as they waited with bated breath for her to reveal her discoveries.

"This particle is capable of making a carbon copy of itself. In a way, this particle is alive; so much so that it is capable of feeling threatened."

Murmurs began to go around. Jean held up a hand to silence them, "I know it seems rather farfetched; I thought so as well, when I first came across it. But if you think about it, it's not so strange. If the Innocence is able to choose and synchronize with Accommodators, and give life to inanimate objects, why wouldn't it be able to do so with simple matter?"

Whispered consent rang throughout the group.

"So, I experimented. I planned to take a few bits of this particle from the Innocence. A split second before I took one, it replicated itself. I tried this a few more times and soon, I had a small mass of accumulated particles."

One scientist piped up, "So you created Innocence?"

Surprised whispers spread through the group while Jean nodded thoughtfully at the question, "Yes, that's what I had thought initially. However, this was not the case when I went to Hevlaska. What I managed to do…was duplicate a part of the Innocence."

The group erupted in amazement. Reever stepped up toward Jean, "Wait…does that mean you're an Accommodator?"

The scientists fell back into silence at his question.

Jean reached for her two guns that were holstered on the side of either leg. She looked at the weapons with surprising tenderness and shook her head, "Not quite."

She could sense the confusion coming from the group as she stored her guns again. As she looked back at Reever, he held up his hands to say, 'then what?'

"The particle was not the Innocence itself, therefore it could not 'choose'. What I took from the Innocence became something entirely different when I fused it with Lucent and Nebulous. It had the same abilities of Innocence, meaning it could synchronize and evolve, but it was no longer what we know as 'Innocence'. In a sense, I am an Accommodator; but not of the Innocence. I took the liberty of naming it the Alter."

Everyone seemed to stare at Jean with silent awe. Tap Dop broke the silence, "What happened to the Innocence you took the particles from?"

"It still functions as every other Innocence should. No damage was done."

"Does this mean that all of us can create weapons from other Innocence particles?" another scientist asked.

"I had thought about it myself, so I experimented with other Innocence. So far, I haven't been able to fuse any other weapons with the particles."

"Why?"

"In the moment before fusion, the particle rejected the weapon."

"But I thought you said that it couldn't 'choose'."

"And I was right. But the particle became the Alter once it rejected the weapon."

"So you still have pieces of Alter with you?"

"Yes, I created twelve Alter pieces. I couldn't get them to fuse because I was already an Accommodator to an Alter. So, I'm going to ask twelve volunteers to try and fuse the Alter with a weapon of their choice."

* * *

**A/N: Not too much Kanda in this beginning chapter but it's only the beginning. This idea has been bugging me for quite a bit so I just really had to put it into words.**

**Hope ya'll enjoyed the first chapter.  
**

**Your thoughts and criticism would be greatly welcome :D  
**

**Much love~  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I totally forgot to mention this; the story is pre-storyline, so, before Allen gets to the Order.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

It had been three days since Jean's arrival. By the end of the first day, all the volunteers turned out to be incompatible with the Alter.

Another batch of volunteers tried the next day. And still no one became an Accommodator.

Only on the third day was she able to see her Alter stash reduced by one. To her surprise, it had been Reever who successfully fused his gun with the new matter. Apparently marksman shooting was a hobby of his, one that Jean could easily relate to.

At the end of the day she concluded that the science department, with the exception of Reever, would not produce any other Accommodators. Komui wholeheartedly agreed and advised her to move onto the finders, who had more frontline experience than the other departments in headquarters.

However, she would have to wait for that opportunity to arise as she was called into Komui's office early in the morning, marking the beginning of her fourth day in HQ.

She entered his office and bowed her head in greeting.

He looked up from the papers he was glaring at and smiled while motioning her to sit down. He handed her a folder as she made her way to sit.

"You'll be heading for Berlin. Our communications was blocked from a couple of finders that were there searching for Innocence. Kanda will also be going with you."

As he finished his sentence, the door opened to reveal an annoyed Kanda. He walked over to where she was sitting but remained standing as he was handed a folder from Komui.

"So what am I needed for?" Jean asked.

"I need you to help the finders improve their talismans. As you know, the talismans are able to contain a level one akuma but we've had reports that after a certain amount of time, they are able to break free."

Jean nodded. Komui then turned toward the exorcist, "Kanda, I'll need you to retrieve the Innocence, with any luck, the finders will have held out long enough to keep it safe."

The long haired male nodded and turned toward the door with Jean following close behind.

* * *

Jean and Kanda regrouped at the underground waterway after they finished their preparations. The two were greeted by a finder who was waiting in the boat that was to take them out of headquarters.

Said finder caught sight of them and bowed, "Hello! I'm Finn and I'll be escorting you Berlin."

Kanda blatantly ignored the greeting while Jean smiled warmly, taking in the features of the boy who couldn't have been more than eighteen years old. He had curly golden hair and bright blue eyes that sparkled with excitement. Her smile widened even more as she noticed a few freckles along his face, which in Jean's opinion, made him seem more adorable.

"Hey," an annoyed voice cut through the silence.

Jean looked in shock at Kanda who was already in the boat and glaring at her, "Are you just gonna stand there or what, woman?"

Finn looked at Jean uncertainly, afraid that she was going to lash out in anger at his tone, but was surprised to see that she only sighed and walked toward the boat. The finder quickly extended his hand toward her. She took it with a small, "Thanks." He looked down at his feet in embarrassment.

Once she was seated he took hold of the oar and began to propel them toward their destination.

* * *

It was almost midnight once the group reached Hamburg. They had left HQ early in the morning and had been traveling from train to ferry to train after train. And after their last stop, Jean was groaning in pain from her cramped legs. Finn looked at her sympathetically while Kanda voiced a small 'che'.

The young finder led them through alleyways and had them jumping rooftops until they ended up in front of a quaint hotel away from the busy streets. Jean looked at it in wonder. Finn smiled at her expression, "It's a lot better than it looks."

The freelancer nodded and walked through the doors.

Finn went ahead toward the front desk to get their accommodations while Jean and Kanda stood side by side scanning the lobby.

The curly haired boy waved them over once he was done speaking to the receptionist. "Miss DeLance, I hope you don't mind that you'll be sharing with Sir Kanda?"

She shook her head, "No trouble."

He nodded, "We'll be resting here for few hours, while I try to contact the others in Berlin. Your room number is 12. Rest well."

She nodded, "Thanks, Finn."

She and Kanda walked up to the second floor and found their room at the end of the hall. She opened the door to find a spacious room with a balcony overlooking the city and walked over to one of the two beds in the room that was closest to her and plopped down wearily on the mattress. Kanda shut the door behind him and made his way over to the bed that was closer to the balcony.

"It's been a long day, huh, Kanda?"

He didn't answer.

"But you're used to this kind of thing aren't you? I heard from Komui that you've –"

"If you want to talk and make friends go to that damn finder. I don't have time for this bull."

Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, "Now Kanda. That's no way to talk to someone."

"Cry me a river."

She moved over to the other side of her bed and shot Kanda an amused grin, "I'm only trying to be friendly. This mission could drag out, so we might be stuck with each other for a while."

"Woman, don't act like you don't know what I'm like."

"Even so, you should be friendlier towards others."

"Piss off."

She sighed. Well at least she made an effort; no one could say that she didn't try. She leaned back on her hands and studied Kanda. She noticed how brightly his hair shined in the moonlight and even had half a mind to ask how he managed to make it shine that way. Jean could grudgingly admit that she was jealous of Kanda's hair. It had to be criminal for a man to have such long, perfect hair...it just had to be. She remembered the last time she worked at the Order that his hair had only been a bit past his shoulder blades. _Goodness,_ she thought_, has it really been that long?_

That must have been almost four years ago. Kanda must have been around sixteen while she was a year older. She had only spoken with him on several occasions. From what she could remember, he had a certain level a politeness back then; like nodding his head when she passed him by in the hallways or when he occasionally delivered some papers to her from Komui. He hadn't been much of a talker, true, but at least he was able to hold up a conversation back then.

"You've changed, Kanda."

He slowly turned to her, "Changed?"

"Back then, when I began to work for the Order. We didn't get much of a chance to speak with each other, but you were always polite."

Kanda looked down in contemplation, his eyebrows knitted. He used to be polite?

Slowly, it all began to come back to him. He remembered that he would pass her by in the mornings when she went on her way to get breakfast. She would always give him a gentle smile and he would nod his head in recognition. Or sometimes Komui would send him on random errands to the science department and he'd see her at a desk working out equations or talking with some of the people there. Now that he thought about it, why had he been so polite?

'_Probably because she wasn't too annoying', _he thought, _'Unlike now.'_

His eyes moved up to hers, "So?"

She shrugged, "Well, why can't you be like you used to be?"

"People change, get over it," he said turning back toward the balcony.

To Kanda's annoyance Jean spoke _again_.

"Kanda," Jean called.

"_What_," he replied sharply.

She felt her eye twitch at his tone, '_Let it go, Jean. He's just a bit annoyed.'_

"What else did Komui want you to do while on this mission?"

She noticed his body freeze for a second before regaining composure. He looked at her, "What are you talking about?"

"Komui could have had me make plans for better talismans back at HQ. There was no need to send me along, but he did, so tell me, what does he want you to do?"

Komui had, in fact, wanted him to observe her. Kanda glared at her and sighed, there was no way he could avoid the subject so he might as well tell her.

"He wants to know what powers your Alter possesses."

She huffed, "I figured as much. I'm gonna have a long talk with Komui after this is over. Well, I'm gonna get some rest now. And I meant what I said Kanda."

He raised an eyebrow.

She grinned, "Be friendlier."

He rolled his eyes, "Tsk."

Jean silently chuckled and lay on her side with her back to Kanda. Jean liked Kanda, she really did, but sometimes he could just be a stick in the mud or more like that same stick was up his ass. She wondered where the boy from her memories had gone. He was a bit difficult, the way he would glare at everyone but once she understood his mannerisms he was easy to get along with. Perhaps she could break down his walls to get a glimpse of his former self?

She mentally shook her head. She couldn't get attached. _Get it together, Jean. You know what happened the last time. Keep everyone at a distance and it won't happen again._

As she closed her eyes she could vaguely remember a figure, smiling at her sweetly before it disappeared in a gust of wind.

* * *

**A/N: Don't know if I did well in the first chapter but maybe you guys can tell me what you think of this one? Criticism is greatly appreciated. Your thoughts about the story would make my day.  
**

**Much love~  
**


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